The Aristocat
by lnvaderZlM
Summary: Lady Meowstic was a Pokémon that was being groomed to be a member of Kalos's nobility. That meant back-to-back lessons, tons of rules to memorize and follow, and worst of all, no free will. She really just wants to get away from it all and be free...and she gets her chance when Team Rocket arrives to steal her from her wealthy owners.
1. The Aristocat I

"Meoooow..." A white feline with blue tufts of fur yawned. Every day was the same... She'd wake up in the morning, get thoroughly and uncomfortably washed and cleaned (against her will), go through her morning speaking lessons (against her will), eat breakfast _with utensils_ (against her will), practice walking "with dignity" (against her will), practice eating brunch and lunch like a noblewoman (against her will), get tutored in numerous human subjects like math and science (against her will), learn how and when to use the hundreds of utensils that rich people tend to set out for dinner (against her will), then finally go to sleep...only to wake up again the next day to repeat this boring cycle ad nauseum.

"Lady Meowstic, please, pay attention!" one of her servants - Erin - said, snapping Meowstic out of her thoughts and back into her boring reality. She was in the middle of another _riveting_ brunch lesson, in which she practices the proper technique for sipping tea. Sighing, Meowstic used Psychic to lift the teacup to her mouth...only to be sprayed by the water bottle that her servants carried around for disciplining her.

"Hsss!" Meowstic hissed, losing focus and dropping the teacup on the ground. It promptly shattered, spilling tea all over their marble floor.

Erin sighed, signaling Wayne, another servant, to help clean up the mess.

"We've told you time and time again, no using attacks at the table!" Erin scolded. "And don't hiss or use Pokéspeak, either - use your words!"

"Meowsti-" the cat started, but she then noticed Erin raising the spray bottle again. "I mean, I sincerely apologize for my rudeness," she said in clear human-speak, as respectfully as possible, bowing a little. Her two servants looked pleased.

"Excellent! Now, let's move on to the proper way to pick up a fork," Erin started, before being distracted by a ruckus in the foyer. "Oooh, never mind, it seems Lord William and Lady Isabelle are home. And they've brought guests, by the looks of it."

"This is the perfect time to practice being a good host," her other servant, Wayne, added.

Meowstic sighed. _Oh well, it can't be worse than utensil lessons..._ she thought.

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Lord William said, not-so-humbly.

"Wow! It's so big!" Serena gushed, looking around at the spacious room they were in.

The most prominent thing in the room was the solid gold fountain situated in the center, gushing water from five points. Flanking it were the bases of a grand double staircase, leading to the second level of this three-story (at minimum!) mansion. Hanging directly above the fountain was an exquisite looking chandelier. The shiny rays of light exuding from it shimmered and reflected off of the fountain's water, constantly emitting sparkles around the room as the water rippled smoothly.

"Everything's so pretty and shiny!" Bonnie added, eyes sparkling.

"Pika!" a familiar yellow mouse added, as well. The group gawked at how gaudy and fancy everything looked, much to the owners' pride.

"We're glad you kids are impressed by it," Lady Isabelle said. Just then, Meowstic, along with the two servants that were teaching her brunch etiquette earlier, entered the room.

"Ah, Erin! Wayne! Whip these fine young kids up a nice, warm meal!" William said. "They're our guests of honor today!"

"Yes, milord," the two servants answered, bowing.

"Study well - we'll quiz you on host etiquette later," Erin whispered to Meowstic before heading off to prepare lunch.

"Ah! And Lady Meowstic is here, too!" the lord said. "Lady Meowstic, I'd like you to meet Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont. They just saved me and the missus from some nasty criminals! Ah...what was their name again? Team Bop-it?"

"Team _Rocket_ ," Ash corrected. "And it was no big deal, we've dealt with them for years now..." he sighed.

"Nevertheless, thank you so much, young man," Isabelle said. "Without you, we would've lost quite a bit of our money back there."

The Lord and Lady went on to thank the young hero profusely. Meowstic simply drowned it out after a minute or so. She leaned against a wall, resting for a bit. If her servants or tutors or owners saw what she was doing, they'd probably flip out and spray her for "poor posture in the presence of guests" or something. But for now, with no servants around, and her owners busy chatting with their guests, she had a rare moment to herself. She just wanted to relax and enjoy her few minutes of slight freedom...

"Wow, your fur is so pretty and soft-looking!" an innocent young voice said. So much for enjoying her freedom peacefully... Meowstic felt like blasting the blonde toddler away from her so she could get some relaxing done, but that would definitely get noticed by her owners. Plus, Meowstic wasn't so cruel as to hurt a child for simply invading her space. So, she leaned her head forward in a proper petting position. The girl took the invitation, and promptly began petting her. Meowstic hated how the human child - who she learned was named 'Bonnie' - was petting her ears. Didn't she know not to pet her species on the ears? Still, Meowstic had enough poise contain her discomfort.

Soon, lunch was prepared. The kids gawked over seeing Meowstic at the table with them, and gasped in surprise when they saw she was able to use utensils like a human. Meowstic heard them ask her owners how she was able to eat like them, but she didn't pay them much mind after that. She was too busy enjoying her uninterrupted eating. Usually, her servants would scrutinize the way she ate, always seeming to find faults. But because there were guests present, they weren't allowed to give her lessons at the moment. It would be unfitting to have a servant lecturing a noble around when guests were present. So, for a few more minutes, she had a bit more freedom. Obviously she couldn't completely pig out like she _really_ wanted to, giving in to her wild side and eating with her hands - in a case like that, they'd spray her, guests or no guests. But it was still a heck of a lot better than being micromanaged.

After lunch, Lord William invited Ash and friends to join him and Meowstic for a walk through his private stretch of forest. They agreed, and so, out they went. Now, one might think Meowstic would be ecstatic about going on a walk and getting exercise, but...

 _Click_

"There you go, Lady Meowstic, all set for your walk!" Erin said, handing the other end of the leash to her master.

"Right-o, let's go!" Lord William said. The kids were very obviously discomforted by the sight of a Pokémon on a leash, but Meowstic's master wasn't very bright or self-aware and also rarely listened to anything that disagreed with how he viewed the world. The reason Meowstic had to be put on a leash was because of the numerous times she had tried to run away while on their walks... It apparently got to be too much of a hassle to always have to call the police department whenever she ran, so they decided to use a leash instead. In truth, she could easily break off from it, but she feared what the next stage of punishment would be. Probably a cage, or stocks... Shuddering at the thought of having to don stocks, Meowstic grudgingly but obediently allowed her master to yank her along on a leash.

* * *

Thirty minutes into their walk and the mansion, Meowstic's prison, was finally out of sight. Lord William's private forest was actually fairly large. As they walked, he talked about how he just recently acquired it.

"There were a few ah... _complications_ that arose during the deal," the nobleman rather sketchily explained. For the slightest moment, a look of anger flashed on his face. The kids were looking ahead and didn't notice it, but Meowstic did. "It all worked out in the end, though, and both parties were satisfied with their end of the bargain," he finished.

Meowstic thought back to the day of the deal. She remembered it was an unusual morning - which was a rarity in her monotonous life. She was having her brunch lesson when several explosions erupted in the forest, sort of sounding like a large-scale Pokémon battle. She felt a little suspicious about her owner's actions that day... but quickly shook it off. She really just wanted to break off of the leash and roam freely through the woods without a care in the world. But if she did, her master would just have the forest sealed off by police and have a search party comb through the area until they found her, after which he'd think of some other, more creative way to keep her in line on their walks. So, she just put up with it for now.

Nearby, a familiar trio was watching their every move...

* * *

"Look, it's that rich snob again," Jessie said, peering through their high-tech binoculars. She handed them off to James so he could take a look, too.

"Oh, great, he's got his twerpish bodyguards with him..." the blue-haired Rocket added. He, in turn, handed the binoculars to Meowth.

"And also a Meowst-" Suddenly, Meowth's eyes lit up with hearts at the sight of the beautiful Pokémon he just laid eyes on. She was just his type - bipedal, feline, similar height, and the cutest expression on her face. It was love at first sight. Instantly, he fantasized about walking on the beach with her, hands intertwined, staring into each other's eyes, smiling... He even started to drool.

Jessie and James exchanged awkward glances.

"Uh, everything all right Meowth?" James asked. "What else do they have with them? A Meowst? Is that a new Pokémon?"

"Um, uh, no. I meant ta say a Meowstic. Here, see for yourself." Meowth handed the binoculars back to Jessie.

"Aww, it's adorable!" Jessie gushed. James snatched the binoculars for himself and took a look at what the fuss was all about.

"It's wearing...a leash?" James remarked. "Oh well, enough about that. What's the plan to catch Pikachu?"

"Forget Pikachu, I'm bagging that Meowstic for myself!" Jessie said. "A beauty like that is bound to be a hit with the crowd!"

"Oh, come on. Pikachu's the _real_ catch here. Wouldn't you agree, Meowth?" James replied.

"Um, um, no," he stammered. "Jessie's right - dat cutie is bound to be a boon to her performances!"

"Yes! It's two to one. We're going for that Meowstic!" Jessie said, determined. Meowth silently cheered, while James just sighed.

"Okay, but when you're done with her, we're turning her over to the boss," James said.

"Deal!" Jessie responded.

* * *

"So then I say to my friend, 'Poker? I don't even know her!' And we all busted out laughing!" Lord William said with a guffaw, finishing another _riveting_ tale of his golden years.

His audience - the twerps - just chuckled awkwardly, not finding the story very entertaining or funny. Meowstic rolled her eyes - after making sure no one was looking, of course.

"Well, this has been a fun walk. What's say we head home, hmm?" Lord William continued. The twerps were about to answer, but a mechanical arm shot out from above, grabbing Meowstic and pulling her into the sky...right into the basket of a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. The owner of the extending mechanical arm had a cage to put her in.

"Team Rocket!" the twerps cried, instantly knowing who was responsible for this.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it dou-"

"You buffoons again?!" Lord William said, completely interrupting their motto and infuriating them in doing so.

"These 'buffoons' have your precious little Pokémon!" James taunted. "And when we deliver her to our boss, we'll get big promotions!"

"Not for long. Meowstic, blast out of there!"

Meowstic was about to comply, but was interrupted by the fiery red-head.

"Don't even bother, that cage is shock-proof!" Jessie said.

Meowstic stared at her in disbelief, giving a look that seemed to say _'Are you really this stupid?'_ All the while, their Meowth was staring at her with those stupid heart-shaped eyes. It nearly made her gag. She was about to use her Psychic to break the cage apart, levitate herself down, and then send the three stooges flying, but then she realized something. This could be her big chance to change her life. She didn't know where these crooks were taking her, but it had to be better than where she was currently. So instead, she feigned helplessness, giving her overbearing master a shrug.

"Meowstic, what are you doing? A shock-proof cage would do nothing against your psychic attacks!" Lord William said.

"Don't worry, we'll get Meowstic back. Talonflame, let's go!" Ash said, releasing a Pokeball.

"You too, Braixen!" Serena did the same, letting her beloved starter out.

"Talonflame, fly up there and grab that cage!" Ash ordered. His Pokémon nodded, making a beeline for the balloon.

"Not if we can help it," Jessie said with a smirk. "Gourgeist, use Leech Seed!" Her Pokémon complied shooting a mess of vines at the oncoming flyer.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered. His Pokémon was just barely able to avoid getting ensnared, but had to give up his rescue. "Now sink their balloon with Peck!" Talonflame dove headfirst into the balloon, beak glowing white with energy, ready to poke holes all over it.

"Gourgeist, repel with Seed Bomb!" This time, Gourgeist landed a direct hit, sending Talonflame staggering back away from the sensitive balloon. The move not being very effective, Talonflame quickly recovered, ready for more.

"Our turn, Braixen! Use Flamethrower on Gourgeist!" Serena ordered. Her Pokémon quickly drew her wand and shot off a stream of fire directly at the villains.

"Inkay, Psybeam!" Inkay flipped upside down and loosed a colorful beam to meet Braixen's attack halfway. The two attacks connected, exploding into a cloud of smoke. "If that's the best you can manage, it seems Meowstic is ours!" he taunted.

"We'll see... Talonflame, use Flame Charge on their balloon!" Ash ordered. Talonflame shrouded itself in red-hot flames, then dove towards the balloon.

"Gourgeist, Leech Seed again!" Gourgeist shot out another web of vines. Meowstic facepalmed, seeing where this was going. The vines instantly turned to ash upon making contact with Talonflame's flaming form, failing to even faze him. "Uh oh..." The trio gulped.

While the three idiots merely watched the attack come in instead of ordering a counter, Meowstic had a snap decision to make. Should she let herself be saved, only to go back to her boring life? Or should she alter the outcome of this battle, seeing where this road leads? With barely a second to spare, she chose the latter option. Making sure no one was watching her, she used Psychic to veer Talonflame towards the ground instead of the balloon, confusing everyone. The bird, on fire and traveling too quickly, was not able to stop in time and crashed into the ground rather painfully.

"Wha? Inkay...did you learn Psychic?" James asked, looking proud. Inkay just gave him a confused look.

"Inkay...?"

"Inkay said he don't tink so," Meowth translated.

"Oh, whatever," Jessie said. "What's more important is..."

"WE GOT AWAY!" the trio said in unison. They started dancing around joyfully, rocking the balloon with their nonsense. Then, they joined in for a group hug.

Seeing the group's comedic antics, their teamwork, and especially the affection they showed their Pokémon... it made Meowstic smile. Something she hadn't done in a long, long, _long_ while.

"TEAM ROCKET'S WINNING FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN!" the villains cried, disappearing with a twinkle, this time with their prize in hand.

"Talonflame! Are you okay?" Ash said worriedly, cradling his injured Pokémon in his arms.

"Tal..." it said weakly, nodding a bit. Ash, relieved, called it back into its Pokeball. Serena did the same with Braixen.

"We're so sorry we let Team Rocket escape," Ash apologized to the nobleman. "We'll help you look for them. We'll make _sure_ they don't get away with this!" His friends nodded in determination and agreement.

"Thank you," Lord William said. "I'll go fetch my servants to help us out - could you start the search?"

"Of course! Noivern, Hawlucha!" Ash sent out his other two flyers. "Help us find Team Rocket." His Pokémon nodded and took to the skies to start searching. When they reached cruising altitude and looked around, they sweatdropped. There was a _lot_ of forest, and they had no leads. Sighing, they started combing through the forest in the direction Team Rocket went.

* * *

 **A/N: HI! Pokémon Go got me obsessed with Pokémon again lol. And I've always been a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Team Rocket - James in particular. That plus the parallels between Meowstic's and James's lives should make it obvious which Rocket is gonna get a new Pokémon in this fic :p I also didn't like that James only had Inkay for the entire XY series... I mean, I love Inkay. I never thought much of the species when the game first came out, but seeing how cute he is with James made me greatly reconsider my opinion! I still wanted a second Pokémon for James to bond with in the series, though. Jessie got Wobbuffet back, so why couldn't James get Mime Jr. or catch a second Pokémon :( Hopefully he gets another awesome 'mon in the Alola Region, though!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and any reviews/thoughts/criticisms/comments/corrections would be much appreciated!**


	2. The Aristocat II

Quite a distance away from the scene of the crime, Team Rocket parked their balloon in an area obscured from the skies by a thicket of trees, so as to hide themselves from any flyers that might be looking for them.

"Cheers!" the two humans and four Pokémon yelled, gulping down the carbonated contents of the glasses that they were holding.

"To another successful mission!"

"To my future fame and stardom!"

"To my new girlfri- uh, I mean what Jimmy said!"

"Inkay!"

"Gourgeist!"

"WOOOOBBUFFET!"

Meowstic watched, amused. She had only been with them for about an hour, and already she had taken a liking to them. The blue-haired one - whom they referred to as James - interested her the most. His looks, voice, and mannerisms reminded her of some of the young noblemen that would visit her owner from time to time. It was... interesting, seeing someone like that be an impoverished, petty thief.

And from what she could gather, they were _very_ impoverished, and _very_ petty. She looked around at their "grand" celebration. On a cardboard box, which she assumed was supposed to be the food table, there was one bag of crispy, salty snack foods that she'd seen commoners in the streets eat, and a bottle of bubbling, carbonated liquid that her masters forbade her from drinking, due to it being "the drink of the poor" - soda, she had heard the Rockets calling it. As for pettiness... all six of them were fighting over the snack bag, grabbing whatever they could and stuffing it immediately into their faces. When they emptied the meager bag, they each took another shot of soda and sighed contentedly. Then, the red-head approached Meowstic's cage.

"Hello there, little Meowstic..." Jessie cooed. "You're gonna be my ticket to the big time... so let's get straight to work practicing for the next showcase!"

Meowstic didn't know what a 'showcase' was, but what she did know was that this woman would be as overbearing as her masters. She had just escaped from that lifestyle, so why would she want to do it again? Meowstic crossed her arms and looked away, using her body language to tell the red-head to "go stuff it". That did not go over well with Jessie. A vein burst on her forehead.

"Why you little..." she started, reaching into the cage. Meowstic easily used Psychic to push her back. Not one to give up so easily on getting revenge, Jessie continued her attack, reaching in and trying to throttle the caged Pokémon. It was amusing, for a while, using Psychic to play with her arms and dodge her advances, but Meowstic soon grew tired of their little game. So, using more force, Meowstic flung Jessie a fair distance away, sending her crashing onto their snack "table", which only had a half-full bottle of soda now that the snack bag was gone. The lone bottle got launched into the air...and descended, upside down, right on top of Jessie, emptying its contents all over her head.

"M-My hair!" Jessie shrieked as the sugary, sticky liquid drenched her most precious feature. "Grr, you mangy cat!" Jessie charged towards the cage again, but Meowstic easily kept her at bay with Psychic. "GAH!" the red-head said, giving up for the time being. "I'm gonna go wash my hair. When I get back, you're in BIG trouble, you hear?!" she said, running off towards the river to take a quick bath. Gourgeist floated after her, but not before shooting a menacing glare towards the one that would dare to harm her master's perfect image.

"Now that Jessie's outta da way..." Meowth whispered to himself, a plotting look on his face.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Meowth?" James asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothin'!" Meowth said, scratching his head. "Say, why don't ya clean up dat mess Jessie made?" he said, gesturing towards the ruined cardboard box that used to be their food table.

"Why do _I_ have to clean it up? Jessie's the one who made it..." James whined.

"Oh quit yer bellyachin' and get ta work!" Meowth snapped. James sighed and resignedly started walking over to clean up the mess. "Ahem. Now dat we're alone, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," Meowth said smoothly. "I'm actually a... a superhero, yeah dat's it. I'm just pretending to be a Rocket to help out da Pokémon dat dey steal. So, I'll unlock your cage, and den we can blow dis joint together!" Meowth said, unlocking her cage and opening the door.

Meowstic rolled her eyes. It was obvious he was lying through his teeth. And she could deduce from a few of his earlier flirty, love-struck looks and comments that he was trying to woo her. While she was surprised to see another talking Pokémon, she found his voice and accent unbearable. So instead of running off with Meowth, she just remained in the cage.

"Huh?" Meowth scratched his head. "Oh, I get it... you'd rather stay here wit me in Team Rocket!" he said, getting uncomfortably close to her. "We'll be a famous criminal duo, like Bonnie and Clyde! And we can buy a huge mansion, and do all dat couples stuff! Yeah, dis'll be great, just you and me, doll!" Meowth put his arm around her shoulder.

That was the last straw. Uncovering her ears, Meowstic used Psychic to lift Meowth up, and fling him far into the sky.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR LOVE?!" Meowth yelled, flying into the air and disappearing with a twinkle, causing James to look up from his cleaning.

Meowstic sighed, glad to be rid of that idiot, and then locked her cage door again. She hoped the thieves would turn her over to their "boss" or whoever they mentioned earlier soon. While she found the trio's antics amusing, the red-head was pushy, obnoxious, and overbearing, while the talking Meowth was loud, annoying, and a really bad liar. She wondered what the blue-haired man was like.

James saw their prisoner lock herself up again. He scratched his head, greatly confused.

"Did Meowth just try to release you?" he asked. All he received was a blank stare in response. "...And you flung him away and caged yourself again?" Still no response aside from a blank stare. "O...kay then..." James said, deciding to drop the subject, lest he face the same fate as his feline friend. "Anyway, now that we're alone, Inkay..." James pulled out a second bag of the salty snack food that he was apparently hiding, waiting to share it with his Pokémon. "Eat up!"

"Inkay!" his Pokémon chirped happily, digging in. James took a piece or two every once in a while, but for the most part, he let his Pokémon eat as much as it wanted.

Meowstic stared at the bag curiously. They were closer than the cardboard buffet table they were using earlier, so she was able to get a better look at the snack they were eating. The food they were eating looked really plain and basic, completely unlike the exquisite meals her servants always prepared her, but despite how bland it looked, they seemed to be greatly enjoying it. And most of all, they were eating sloppily, barehanded, spilling crumbs everywhere. She felt...envious.

Soon, James noticed their prisoner eyeing them curiously. "Er... would you like one?" James asked, taking a decently sized piece out of the bag and displaying it to her.

"Inkay Ink! ( _You should totally try one, they taste great!_ )" his Pokémon said, to Meowstic's surprise. For petty thieves that were greedily fighting over a scraps of food just a few minutes prior, they were being awfully generous to their prisoner...

Nevertheless, Meowstic's curiosity was piqued. She nodded in affirmation, and James handed the snack over to her. At first, Meowstic just stared at his hand, waiting for someone to bring her the proper eating utensil so she could eat it. But then, she remembered - she was free from all that etiquette stuff now. So, a little giddily, she picked the snack up with her _bare hands_. She curiously examined it, feeling around it with her paws. It was greasy, crumbly, salty... It looked and felt like something her owners would never, in a million years, give her permission to even touch, let alone eat. After thoroughly examining the commoner snack, Meowstic took an exploratory nibble. Her eyes lit up at the delicious taste, and she quickly devoured the rest, licking her lips and paw when she was done.

James looked amused by her antics. "Was that your first time eating a potato chip?" he asked. "What, is your owner not feeding you properly? Or maybe..." James closed his eyes and smiled, remembering how rich and gaudy her owner looked. "Your owner doesn't allow you to eat 'commoner' food, huh?"

Meowstic nodded, surprised that the man pegged her situation to a T. James noticed her curious stare, and decided to explain himself.

"My parents were the same... It may surprise you, but I come from a very wealthy family," James explained. "Mummy and Daddy would never let me partake in activities they deemed 'unfit for a nobleman'. No playing around in mud, no junk food like chips, and no soda. Speaking of soda..." James took out another bottle of the bubbly drink. "I'm guessing your owners never let you try this drink either, hm?" He popped the cap off and pocketed it, then handed the open bottle to Meowstic.

Meowstic stared nervously and curiously inside the bottle she was holding. The bubbly liquid looked a little scary... Still, if commoners drank it all the time, it couldn't be that dangerous, right? So she took a sip just to try it out... and she instantly fell in love with both the taste and the tickly feeling it gave off passing through her tongue and throat. She started gulping the whole bottle down.

"W-Whoa! Slow down there. If you drink it too quickly then-" James started. He was interrupted by a large burp escaping Meowstic's mouth. "-then that might happen..." James finished.

Meowstic's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. But then, she cracked up, laughing at how strange the burp both felt and sounded coming out of her. James and Inkay started laughing with her, too.

"So, do you like commoner food?" James asked the cat, expecting to get a response in Pokespeak. Instead...

"Yes, very much so," Meowstic responded in perfect English, unlike Meowth, who had that annoying accent and speech impediment.

"Well, I'm glad to hear-" James started, but then realized the Meowstic just spoke. "Wait, what? You can speak?!"

Meowstic rolled her eyes. It was always like this when people heard her speak. It was why she didn't utter a word when with those kids, and why she generally just kept her mouth shut to strangers.

"Yes, my masters forced speaking lessons unto me. It was one of the many subjects I was unwillingly tutored in," Meowstic explained, sounding a little melancholy.

"I can relate," James sighed. "Before I ran away from home, it was back-to-back lessons every day in topics I hated. Violin, piano, ballroom dancing... Even while eating, I was being lectured on what utensils to use and when and how. And the entire time, I'm thinking, 'why do we need so many utensils when-'"

"When we really only need two?" she said, raising both of her 'utensils' (hands) and smiling.

"Exactly!" James said. "I don't need fifty different kinds of forks; let me just pick up the food with my bare hands!"

They both shared a laugh at that.

"You know, you're pretty...tolerable. For a thief, I mean," Meowstic said.

"Thanks... I think."

Meowstic paused for a moment, deep in thought. After a few seconds, she seemingly made up her mind about something. "Say... I wouldn't mind if-"

Before Meowstic could finish, she was interrupted by a loud roar.

"J-Jessie?" James said fearfully, knowing that it obviously wasn't her, and that it was something a lot scarier. Sure enough, out of the bushes came a fierce looking Pangoro. It did not look happy to see trespassers in its territory.

"Oh no... I remember hearing about a territorial Pangoro in the area..." Meowstic said, gulping. She looked to see the human frozen in fear. "W-What are you waiting for? Let me out of here and let's run!" she yelled, snapping him back to Earth.

"Ehehe... well, you see... Jessie and Meowth don't trust me with keys..." he said nervously. Meowstic slapped her forehead.

Seeing that the intruders weren't planning on leaving his territory anytime soon (as James was too nice to leave Meowstic for dead), the Pangoro let out a threatening roar and charged at the human, preparing a Hammer Arm. James and Inkay simply screamed and stared in horror at the incoming attack.

 _Seriously?!_ Meowstic thought, watching the two idiots just freeze up in fear instead of attacking or dodging, just like before when they kidnapped her. She quickly sprang into action to help her new friend. First, she completely blew the cage apart with a blast of psychic energy, then she jumped in front of James and Inkay, charging up another attack... but the Pangoro was too fast. Before Meowstic could fire off her attack, the Pangoro slammed into her with Hammer Arm. The force of the attack sent her flying backwards, right into James's arms, unconscious. Now that Meowstic was with him, James didn't hesitate to run away, cradling the injured Pokémon in his arms. The Pangoro roared again, giving chase to make sure they completely leave his territory.

* * *

 **A/N: MAAAAAAN where're all da Team Rocket fics at? Like two months ago, a bunch of old ones got revived, so I was super excited to see what was to come :(. Oh wells, at least there're still a few getting decently frequent updates.**

 **Anyways, as always, any reviews/thoughts/criticisms/corrections would be much appreciated!**


	3. The Aristocat III

"Meowstic! Lady Meowstic, are you out there?" Serena called out.

After sending the flyers out to search the skies, the twerps decided to split up and search the forest on the ground, in case the balloon was hidden beneath some trees or some other place that was invisible from the above. They'd been walking around for an hour now, with still no sign of the villains...

"Hopefully the others are having better luck," Serena sighed.

"Brai..." Her Pokémon nodded in agreement.

Just as they said that, however, they saw a familiar blue-haired man running in their direction, a familiar Inkay at his side, and a familiar Meowstic unconscious in his arms.

"Stop right there!" Serena ordered, holding her palm out in front of her. Braixen drew her wand, ready to fight the criminal and retrieve the stolen Pokémon.

"Twerpette?!" James said, skidding to a halt in front of her. But then, a roar sounded off behind him, reminding him why he was running. He and Inkay leaped behind Serena, using her as a shield against the raging Pangoro.

"H-Hey! What's going on?!" Serena yelled, noticing the Pangoro charging towards them. About ten paces away, however, it stopped and examined its surroundings. It seemed to have realized that the humans were now well out of his territory. It drew a line on the ground, gestured at it, pointed at the humans, and then drew an invisible line around its neck.

"I-I think it's saying if we cross that line, we're dead?" James said. The Pangoro nodded, then turned back and disappeared into the forest. "Phew..." James sighed. He wasn't planning on returning any time soon anyway. "Oh no, Meowstic!" he cried, suddenly remembering the injured Pokémon he was carrying. "Meowstic, are you okay? Speak to me!" He set her down against a tree.

"All right, you crook, give Meowstic back to its owner!" Serena demanded.

"Shhhh!" James shushed, trying to focus on tending to Meowstic's wounds. "Look, I'll ask Meowstic if she wants to go back to him when she wakes up. If she doesn't, I'll let her go free into the wild, simple as that," he explained, much to Serena's confusion.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't Meowstic want to go back?" she asked. "...And why would you just let her go free? Didn't you say something about a promotion if you offered her to your boss? Something's fishy here..."

"I'll explain everything in a minute. Right now..." James pulled out a Potion and set to work fixing Meowstic up. A few sprays and bandages later, Meowstic looked a lot better, though still unconscious. "She just needs to rest for a few minutes now," James said, laying her comfortably against the tree. Serena looked impressed with the man's medical know-how. But she still had a mission.

"Okay, now give me one good reason I shouldn't have Braixen roast you and take Meowstic back to her rightful owner!" Serena said.

"Braixen!" her Pokémon added, drawing her wand again.

"Because Meowstic's miserable at home..." James said, closing his eyes. "She told me so herself."

"Wh-Wha? How can she be sad? She's living in the lap of luxury..." Serena said.

James chuckled. "You don't know anything about being a noble, do you?" he said. "When you're _that_ rich, your freedoms get severely limited. There are several rules you always need to be following, and everything you do has to be refined. You can't even eat without tutors criticizing your form. Every day is back-to-back lessons on etiquette... Every night is back-to-back social gatherings where you must be on your best behavior and have no fun whatsoever, lest you appear carefree and silly... It's a horrible life," James explained.

"How do you know so much about being a noble?" Serena asked, surprised at his insight into high society.

"Because I _am_ one. Or... I used to be. Hmm..." James scratched his chin. "I ran away over ten years ago. Do I still count as a nobleman?"

"Yes, you do. Nobility isn't something that expires," Meowstic said, remembering her lessons. She walked over to them shakily. James ran up to support her.

Serena and Braixen gave them shocked looks. "You can talk?!" Serena exclaimed. "And _you're_ a nobleman?"

James joined Meowstic in rolling her eyes this time. He got this reaction fairly often when people found out he was technically a member of the nobility, and Meowstic had to once again explain that yes, she can indeed talk.

"I'm a marquess, to be exact," James explained. "The Marquess of Parfum, right here in Kalos. My mother and father are dukes and duchesses in Kanto."

"Wait a second... _Parfum?"_ Serena said. "As in, _Parfum Palace?_ "

James nodded. "My father was good friends with King Allister. The good king gave me the title as..." James sighed. "...an engagement gift for me and his niece..."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Meowstic said.

"While the king and queen were kind, their niece was anything but!" James explained, shuddering. "She's the main reason I ran away..."

"I can imagine," Serena said. "We met his daughter, Princess Allie, at the palace. She was a spoiled brat!"

"And I think I've met your fiancé at a ball or two..." Meowstic said. "Countess Jessebelle, right? She certainly was a piece of work."

James let out another sigh in response. It looked like Meowstic and Serena were going to probe him further on his family life, but he _really_ didn't want to dredge up any more of the terrible memories he had of Jessebelle and his childhood. So before they could fire off any more questions, he decided to change the subject.

"Enough about my boring life," he said, diverting attention away from himself. "Why don't you tell the twerpette about how you learned to talk?"

"I have a name, you know!" Serena said, a little indignantly. "But yeah, I _am_ pretty curious about how you learned to speak."

"It's nothing extraordinary," Meowstic said, shrugging. "I just took speaking lessons. It was among the many lessons I unwillingly undertook in their quest to groom the first Pokémon aristocrat."

"I see..." Serena was a little taken aback by this. "But why do your owners want you to be an aristocrat so badly?"

"Because they're braggarts," Meowstic said matter-of-factly. "Narcissists. Egotists. Being the first to add a Pokémon to the ranks of the aristocracy would just be another achievement for them to brag about. And they'll do anything to achieve it - even force a poor, innocent little Espurr into doing whatever they say..."

"You know, I've been wondering..." James said. "It's understandable for me, since I was my parents' only son, but for you... why didn't your owners toss you out when it was obvious you wouldn't cooperate, and then find some other Meowstic or Espurr to do their bidding? It sounds like that would be a lot less trouble, not to mention a lot more moral..."

Meowstic shook her head. "It's not that simple," she said. "You can't just pick a Pokémon up off the street and expect to be able to groom it into a noble. I mean, listen to your Meowth's horrible accent. He'd never pass for an aristocrat! No, they _specifically_ chose me..." Meowstic began telling them the story of when she was born...

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _"M-Milord, the egg is hatching!"_

 _"Yes, yes, I see it. Stand back a bit to let the Pokémon come out."_

 _"Yes, milord."_

 _The baby Espurr heard those words as she emerged from her egg. With a flash of light, everything came into view for the small Pokémon. She was instantly dazzled by the surroundings she emerged into. There was gold...gold everywhere. Lining the walls, hanging from the ceiling, framing paintings... Everything was so shiny and she loved it. She looked at the faces surrounding her - there was a wealthy looking man and an equally wealthy looking woman, another man dressed in servant garb, and a third man wearing a black blazer with purple trim._

 _"Well, judge?" the wealthy-looking man said to the man wearing the purple-trimmed black blazer - the judge? "How fares this Espurr's potential?"_

 _"Hmm, I see... I see..." the judge said, scrutinizing the newborn Espurr. "This Pokémon's potential is outstanding overall. Highly intelligent, a quick learner, obedient... It's exactly what you wanted."_

 _"Yes, yes, very good!" the wealthy man said. He took out a large wad of cash from his pocket and handed it over to the judge._

 _"Thank you, sir. But may I ask why you need an obedient, intelligent, quick-learning Espurr?" the judge asked._

 _"That's none of your concern. Go on, out! Out!" the wealthy man said, shooing the judge out. When the judge was fully outside, the wealthy man turned his attention to the newly born Espurr._

 _Espurr, being an innocent newborn Pokémon, waddled up to her new owner, hoping for some love and affection. But..._

 _"Hss!" Espurr cried out upon getting hit by a spray bottle. Why did they spray me? she thought._

 _"Now now," the wealthy man said. "That's no way for a lady to walk and talk. Now, repeat after me... 'She sells seashells down by the seashore!'"_

 _"Es...purr? (Excuse me?)" the Pokémon said._

 _"Wrong!" the wealthy man let out another spray of water. And thus, Espurr's lessons began..._

* * *

The group stared at Meowstic with looks of sympathy.

"Oh my..." Serena said. "I had no idea growing up wealthy could be so difficult..."

Meowstic and James nodded knowingly.

"So it's true? You don't want to go back to your home?" Serena continued.

Meowstic shook her head. "No, I'm not going back. Truth be told, I _let_ myself get captured. I could've broken out whenever I wanted to."

Serena nodded. "And you..." she said, looking at James. "Why would you help Meowstic? You don't sound like your normal greedy self..."

James shrugged. "Because I can relate to her," he said. "Sort of like how I helped you and Braixen out with your branch problem." Braixen and Serena looked at him in surprise. "What, you really didn't know 'Jeeves' was just me in disguise?" James assumed it was obvious, that at least one of them saw him jump in the air and change clothes, that they heard him cheering Braixen on as he blasted off...

"N-No, I didn't," Serena said. "I guess that explains how he just disappeared after Team Rocke- er, you guys attacked..."

James sighed. "Well, now you know. Anyways..." He got back to the topic at hand. "I know how terrible and monotonous it is to live like that. I wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone. Plus, she sort of saved my skin back there, taking a hit from that Pangoro in the process."

"Hmm..." Serena thought about whether she should trust James. She remembered all the times Meowth tricked them into thinking he had benign intentions, but ended up backstabbing them. So she was a little skeptical.

"I trust him," Meowstic said, stepping up for James. "If it was one of the other two, I'd be skeptical, like you, but this man actually seems really nice. He fed me and refused to abandon me when the Pangoro attacked."

"Braixen brai!" Braixen said, looking at Meowstic expectantly. The talking Pokémon got the message.

"Braixen says that she trusts him too. That he sounded really sincere when he helped her with that branch problem you guys talked about," Meowstic translated.

"You too, Braixen?" Serena said. Braixen nodded in response. "Well...all right, then. If you two trust him, then I will, too. So should we ask Lord William to release Meowstic?"

James and Meowstic both shook their heads vigorously. Meowstic knew her master would never willingly let her go, and James knew it too, remembering his parents' willingness to use force and trickery to try to get him to come home.

"If we asked his permission, he'd drag me back to the mansion, kicking and screaming all the way," Meowstic explained. "You saw the leash he put on me? Next time, it'll be a cage."

"That's horrible!" Serena said. She wanted to say that Lord William seemed like a nice guy and probably wouldn't cage his Pokémon, but then she remembered his behavior at the mansion, and especially the leash... A cage seemed like something he would actually do.

"Welcome to high society..." James said, throwing his hands up.

"So what's the plan, then?" Serena asked. She recalled Lord William mentioning something about getting all of his dozens of servants plus the entire local police department to comb through the forest for the criminals, so simply walking out wasn't an option.

"Well, if your twerpy friends help out, we can use the balloon to make our escape..." James started, before realizing something. "Oh no, our balloon! And Jessie... and Meowth! They're all still in that territorial Pangoro's territory!"

A look of worry appeared on Serena's face, as well. "Ash and the others went in there, too. We have to help them!" she said. James nodded in agreement and set off back into the Pangoro's territory. Before they left, however, Braixen approached him.

"Brai!" she said, giving a little bow, looking to Meowstic to translate.

"She's saying thanks for helping her with her branch problem that day," Meowstic translated for him. "I see you have a habit of helping the damsels in distress, eh?" she teased.

"Ehehe..." James chuckled nervously. "You're very welcome, Braixen. I understand how it feels, caring so much about an object, with people not understanding or caring how much the object means to me," he explained.

"Braixen..." she said, nodding. Then, she ran up to him shyly, gave him a quick hug, and trotted back to Serena's side.

"She really likes you," Meowstic said, giggling. "I can get why. I, too, just had someone that understood me and my situation completely, and then offered to help me out."

"Really? Who was it?" James stupidly asked, to Meowstic's chagrin.

"Oh, just some clueless, oblivious idiot, apparently..." she sighed.

* * *

 **A/N: Woo. I made up the part about James being a noble lol. I don't quite know much about nobility, I just googled a bunch of noble titles and stuff and played through Long Live the Queen a bunch of times :3. Hopefully the situation I put James in is believable and not wildly inaccurate lol.**

 **Also, the Parfum thingy was inspired by the theory mentioned by the guy writing Birthday Getaway (Malbara)! I thought it was interesting how they theorized that Jessebelle was related to Princess Allie of Parfum Palace (given their personalities). They didn't seem _too_ similar, though (accent and eye color comes to mind), so I figured I'd make them cousins instead of sisters.**

 **Anyway, any reviews/thoughts/criticisms/corrections would be much appreciated!**


	4. The Aristocat IV

"Ugh, my hair..." Jessie said, walking back to their camp, head still sticky from the sugary soda that soaked her. "When I get my hands on that Meowstic..." she made strangling motions with her hands. Soon, she emerged from the woods and into their makeshift encampment... only to find it deserted. "What..." She looked at the shattered remains of the cage that held her ticket to stardom. "WHAT?!" she yelled angrily, realizing Meowstic was gone. "Grr... MEOWTH! JAMES! You better have a good explanation for this!" she cried out into the forest.

"Ow... what? Did someone call me?" Meowth said, stumbling into the camp as well. "And where's Jimmy?" he said, noticing his blue-haired companion was missing. Then, he noticed the broken cage. "Whoa! And my girlfri- I mean... our catch!"

"I was just about to ask _you_ that," Jessie said, tapping her foot.

Meowth quickly thought up an excuse, not wanting to say that he tried to woo Meowstic and run off with her again before getting blasted off by the Meowstic in question.

"Uh... dere was dis Pangoro, see. And he... attacked us outta nowhere!" he lied. "So I gave him a taste of my Fury Swipes, but two of his friends came outta nowhere and smacked me into da sky! Den I walked back here and saw you," he finished.

Jessie gave him a look of disbelief. She opened her mouth to chew him out, for both lying to her and letting their prisoner get away with his negligence, but she froze suddenly in fear, staring at three large figures standing behind Meowth.

"...I think I buy your story..." Jessie said fearfully.

"Really? You do?" Meowth said. Jessie nodded slowly in response. Slowly, it dawned on the cat _why_ she believed it. "Dere're Pangoro behind me, aren't dere?" Jessie nodded again.

"RUN!" they both yelled, sprinting away. The three Pangoro charged after them.

* * *

"Meowstic!" Ash called out. "Meowstic, if you can hear me, say something!"

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu joined his master in calling out the stolen Pokémon.

"Ash? Is...that...you?" Clemont panted, emerging from the bushes, panting. They had been searching for over an hour now, and all the walking, searching, and yelling was starting to take its toll on the unathletic mechanic. Bonnie emerged shortly after with Dedenne.

"Any luck finding them?" Ash asked. The siblings shook their heads sadly. "Well, let's keep looking. We can't let Team Rocket get away with this!" he said determinedly.

As if on cue, a familiar red-head and talking Pokémon charged towards them - Jessie and Meowth.

"Hold it!" Ash said, holding a hand out in the "stop" gesture.

"Oh great, now there're twerps?!" Jessie said, skidding to a halt in front of their nemeses.

"What did you do to Meowstic, you big meanies?" Bonnie asked angrily. Jessie and Meowth didn't bother answering, opting instead to hide behind the twerps, much to the latter group's confusion. Everything was cleared up when they saw the three rampaging Pangoro chasing them, however.

"Whoa! All right, what'd you do to anger them?" Ash said.

"Enough wit da accusations already!" Meowth yelled. "We didn't do nuttin! Dose guys just started attacking us!"

"Uh oh... I think I remember hearing about territorial Pangoro in this forest..." Clemont said worriedly. "I don't think they'll let us off with a warning..." The Pangoro trio were getting awfully close by now.

"Guess we don't have a choice..." Ash said. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Luxray, back him up with Discharge!" Clemont said, releasing his own Pokémon.

"Gourgeist, you use Seed Bomb!" Jessie decided to help out, too. Their three Pokémon jumped in front of their trainers, launching their attacks. The three attacks combined, smashing into the charging Pangoro. Unfortunately, Pangoro were known for fighting through any damage inflicted upon them, and they charged through the attacks unfazed. The Pangoro trio smashed into the line of defending Pokémon, hitting Pikachu and Luxray with a Hammer Arm. Gourgeist was spared damage, due to being immune to Fighting-type moves, but the Pangoro targeting it quickly remedied this by swiping her with a Dragon Claw.

The defending Pokémon were knocked back to their trainers, but quickly recovered, albeit on the verge of fainting. The Pangoro likewise prepared another charge of Hammer Arms.

"W-What now?" Clemont asked.

Ash thought for a bit. Dodging would do no good, as the Pangoro would just continue on and pummel the three humans. And there was no time to coordinate a strategy of any sort with his two teammates. So, all he could do was order another attack...

"Uh... Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Again!"

"Okay, I guess... Luxray, Discharge again!"

" _This_ is your brilliant plan?!" Jessie said. "Ugh, whatever. Gourgeist, Seed Bomb... _again!_ "

Once again, the defenders' attacks combined, smashing into the line of charging Pangoro. They staggered a bit, but kept charging. Just one more attack would've been enough to down them, but there wasn't any time, and the group's Pokémon definitely wouldn't last another hit... Pikachu, Luxray, and Gourgeist braced themselves for the finishing blow, but then...

"Inkay, use Psybeam!"

"Braixen, Flamethrower, let's go!"

"And I'll use Charge Beam!"

Another volley of three attacks soared over their shoulders and struck the Pangoro, finally knocking the beasts out. Jessie, Ash, Meowth, Bonnie, and Clemont all looked towards the source.

"Serena!" Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont cried out.

"And James!" Jessie and Meowth likewise said.

The groups reunited, but then quickly went back to their quarreling. Ash and the siblings jumped to the right side of the path, while Jessie and Meowth jumped to the left. James and Serena stayed in the middle, trying to mediate the two groups.

"Okay, hand over Meowstic!" Ash demanded.

Jessie scoffed. "As if. Come on, James, let's make our escape!"

"Guys, calm down!" Serena said, gesturing with her hands. "Meowstic doesn't want to go back." She then, with the help of James, explained Meowstic's reasons for wanting to run away, how she was weary of all the rules that members of high society have to follow.

"It's true," the Meowstic in question said to back up what James and Serena said, to the surprise of those who haven't heard her speak yet. Before anyone could ask, she added "And yes, I can talk. Don't make me explain myself a third time today."

"We're planning on setting her free somewhere far away from here, where her owners won't be able to find her," James said.

"Er... actually," Meowstic started, sounding a little shy and unsure of herself. "I... wouldn't mind if..." Before she could finish, however, the three defeated Pangoro started sobbing, very loudly and obnoxiously.

"Pan...Pangoro pan!" the apparent leader of them wailed.

"Huh? Dey're beggin' us not to take over deir forest..." Meowth translated.

"Pan, pan Pangoro!" a second one added.

"They said some humans forced them out of their previous home, and that this was all they have left..." Meowstic translated this time. A look of realization appeared on her face. "My master's private woods! That was your previous home, wasn't it? And those explosions I heard on the day of the deal... You guys were defending your home..."

"Pangoro pan?!" the third one said angrily, realizing that the Meowstic was with the humans that kicked them out of their home. It weakly stood up, limped over to Meowstic with an arm raised... and promptly fell down harmlessly.

"No, don't worry, I'm not with them... not anymore, anyway," Meowstic said. "I'm so sorry about what my master did to you..."

"What a big meanie!" Bonnie said, pouting. "That can't be legal, can it big brother?"

Clemont thought for a bit. "Now that you mention it, there _should_ be preservation laws preventing the private ownership of land that Pokémon reside in..." Clemont said, stroking his chin. "Lady Meowstic, how did your owner acquire that forest?"

"I...don't quite know," Meowstic shrugged. "He always dodged the question whenever one of our guests brought it up. All I remember is that on the morning of the deal, he had several of his servants come with him into the forest, all carrying pretty strong Pokémon..." she said. "Then the local gym leader came to inspect the area, found no Pokémon calling the forest their home, and signed the land over to my master."

"It sounds to me that your owner and his servants chased the Pangoro out to make it seem like the forest was uninhabited," Clemont said. "Which, if I'm not mistaken, is against the law. We should probably tell the police. And fortunately, they're already here to help look for Meowstic!"

"All right then, let's go get these Pangoro their homes back!" Ash said, tightening his gloves and hat in determination.

"Pangoro pan!" the three Pangoro said, tears streaming out of their eyes.

"Dey're sayin' tanks," Meowth translated. Even he started crying a bit, too. "Aww, what a touchin' story! Of course we'll help!"

"It'll be hilarious watching _him_ get dragged away by the cops he called to arrest _us!_ " Jessie added.

With that, everyone started walking back towards the mansion, ready to expose Lord William for the crook he is. James and Meowstic stayed behind for a bit.

"This whole case will probably keep your servants and owner quite busy," James told the cat. "Now might be a good time to make your escape. Besides, if you came with us, your owner might catch you and bring you to prison with him." James knew how these things worked. There were a few times where the police caught him and returned him to his family, despite him saying he didn't want to go home. He assumed it'd be the same, if not more restrictive for Pokémon.

"No, it's okay," Meowstic said. "I want to help out, too. And also..." She blushed again. "I... I want to go with y-"

"HEY! James, hurry up or we're leaving you behind!" Jessie called out, interrupting Meowstic.

"C-Coming!" James said, jogging up and signaling Meowstic to do the same. Meowstic just sighed at being interrupted yet again.

* * *

A fair distance away, several servants (and _one_ Officer Jenny) were combing the forest, searching for any trace of Lady Meowstic's whereabouts.

"Don't worry sir," Officer Jenny said, patting her Growlithe. "We'll find your Meowstic. Growlithe here has an excellent sense of smell."

"Growl!" the fire-type in question said in response, sniffing the air.

"Yes, that's all well and good, but..." Lord William struggled to keep his amicable tone. "I could've sworn I ordered - er, _requested_ that your entire police department to aid in the search!"

"Unfortunately, this forest is very far away from town. And we can't dedicate the entire police force to one task. We still need to respond to incidents in the city."

Inside, Lord William was furious. Outside, however...

"Ah. Oh well, I understand. Still, you have my gratitude for helping me find my dear Meowstic!" he said, without a trace of his anger slipping.

"Happy to serve, sir!" Officer Jenny said, continuing on with her search. Lord William watched her walk away, still boiling mad that after all the donations he made to the police department, they weren't bending over backwards for him.

"Milord, we've finished searching this area," a young-looking servant reported to the lord. "Shall we move deeper?"

Unfortunately, the servant caught his master in a bad mood.

"What do you think, you simpleton!" Lord William snapped back, causing the servant to recoil. "Spread out and search deeper into the forest!

"B-But milord, the Pangoro! They'll thrash us if we run into them!"

"Well, you'd better hope _you_ find Meowstic before _they_ find _you_ , huh?"

The servant gulped "Yes, milord." He then walked away to let the other servants know their orders.

"When I get my hands on that Meowstic..." Lord William said menacingly. "She'll be lucky if she ever sees the sunlight in the next ten years!" He took a breath to compose himself. Then, fixing his suit and tie, he delved deeper into the forest to continue the search for his little prisoner.


	5. The Aristocat V

"There you go, all fixed up!" James said, putting his Potions and bandages away. The Pangoro he was treating gave him a crushing hug in thanks. "GAH! T-Too tight..." James squeaked from within its grasp. The Pangoro quickly let go, blushing a bit.

"Guess all those summers with your nanny and pop-pop paid off, huh?" Ash said.

" _Nanny and pop-pop?_ " Serena asked, stifling a giggle and earning a flustered look from the blue-haired man.

"Yeah, I met them at one of his mansions in Kanto," Ash explained. "They were really good at healing Pokémon."

" _One_ of his mansions?" Bonnie asked, surprised. Ash nodded. "So does that mean you're rich?"

James sighed. "Technically, it's my parents that are rich. I'm just set to inherit all of their wealth."

"Wait... if you're so rich, what are you doing in Team Rocket?" Bonnie asked.

"I ran away from home for the same reasons as Meowstic - I was tired of all the rules of high society," James explained. "Plus, I was forcefully engaged to a psychopath..." he added quietly.

"Why Team Rocket in particular, though?" Serena asked. "You seem like you'd make a great Pokémon breeder or doctor. You're really good at taking care of Pokémon...when you're not stealing them, that is."

James shook his head sadly. "I tried to do honest work at first," he started. "Accounting, finance, construction work... a bunch of different things. But because those were all on the books, my parents were always able to track me down a few weeks after getting a job. Team Rocket, on the other hand, is completely off the grid," he explained.

"Aww, that's so sad!" Bonnie said, tearing up a little.

"If ya tink dat's sad, wait'll ya hear how _I_ ended up in Team Rocket!" Meowth said. "It's a tale full o' romance, intrigue, and-"

"Oh, can it, Meowth," Jessie said. "We don't have three hours to spare for your sob story."

"I'll shorten it dis time! I'll cut out da fluff, promise!" Meowth begged.

"Last time you said that, you made it longer! And besides," James said as he finished treating the third and last Pangoro. "We're all healed up and ready to go now."

"Then let's," Meowstic said. She didn't feel like listening to a three hour tale, especially not one from Meowth. She still remembered how he tried to convince her he was a superhero.

"Fine, but you're really missing out," Meowth said. With that, the group carried onwards.

Meowstic lagged behind a bit, pondering what she would do when - or if - she got her freedom. She was about 75% sure she wanted to let the blue-haired man capture her, and even came close to telling him that, but she kept getting interrupted. The 25% chance that this would be a decision she'd end up regretting still bothered her, though. He was a member of a criminal organization, after all. What if the nice guy shtick was just a facade for luring unsuspecting Pokémon in? Meowstic was really torn over what to do...

"Meowstic? Are you all right?" James asked, noticing that the Pokémon was drifting pretty far behind the group.

"Y-Yes, I'm well. I'm just a little tired, is all," Meowstic replied.

"I can carry you if you like."

"No th-" Meowstic was about to decline, but changed her mind upon feeling how absolutely tired she was from all of the physical activity that day - from the getting kidnapped, to the walking, and even engaging the Pangoro - twice! She wasn't used to all this excitement and exercise. "Actually, yes, I _would_ like that, if it's not too much trouble," she said sheepishly.

"Not at all," James said, scooping the cat up in his arms.

Almost instantly, all of Meowstic's worries melted away in his warm embrace. She had never been carried with such...tenderness before. When her servants or owners would carry her, they'd make her sit uncomfortably and unnaturally prim and proper: back straight, legs crossed, hands folded in front of her. She felt like she was their dress-up doll. But when James carried her, she felt... _loved._ Cared for.

"Are you sure you're all right?" James asked. "You've had that serious look on your face ever since we decided to help those Pangoro."

"Meowstic _always_ look serious," she replied.

"I know... I meant more than usual."

"I'm... I'm fine."

James gave her a thoughtful look. "I think I know what you're stressing about," he said, smiling. "You're worried about what'll happen once you're free, right?"

Meowstic slowly nodded. That was half of what she was worried about, but she didn't feel like disclosing that the other half was whether or not she wanted to travel with him.

"Don't worry, I felt the same way on the night that _I_ ran away," James said. "I was worried about how I, a spoiled rich boy, would survive on the streets. It was hard, at first - transitioning from Mareep-wool jackets and filet mignon to dirty old rags and food scraps. But I also gained my freedom, and that's worth all the money in the world."

Meowstic smiled. _He always knows just what to say to make me feel better,_ she thought. _And I now know what_ I _want to say..._

"James?" she asked. No more stuttering, no more sheepishness this time. She was gonna come right out and say it. "After I'm free, I want to travel with y-AHHH!" Again, before she could finish, she was interrupted, this time by a vine pulling her away towards a woman in a maid uniform and a white-flowered Florges.

"Beautifully done, Florges," the woman said - Erin, one of Meowstic's main etiquette tutors. "And well done to you as well, kids, for arresting those criminals and taming those nasty Pangoro."

"Give Meowstic back! She doesn't want to go with you!" James yelled.

"And these Pangoro are only aggressive because _you_ guys kicked them out of their home!" Serena added.

"Hm, so you really have sided with them, haven't you?" another person said, emerging out near the maid - Wayne, Meowstic's other main etiquette tutor. "We suspected something was wrong when we spied you walking so nonchalantly with _both_ of our enemies. I suppose it's a good thing we didn't approach you and ask for you to hand Lady Meowstic over willingly, hm?"

"Gr... We'll get her back!" Ash said.

"Ohoho, make up your mind, boy," Wayne chuckled. "First you say you're going to rescue Meowstic from those criminals, and now you're working with them to steal her again?"

"That was before we knew how miserable she was at home..." Ash clenched his fist in determination. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he ordered. Pikachu complied, charging up its signature attack and loosing it on the two servants.

"Oh, please. Florges, block it with Moonblast," Erin ordered. The flowery Pokémon opened its mouth, pink energy gathering in front of it, and launched its attack to meet the incoming Thunderbolt halfway. The two attacks collided in midair, producing a bright and powerful explosion.

"Pangoro pan!" one of the Pangoro said to the other two of its species. It gestured at the two servants, seemingly organizing an attack.

Wayne noticed this. "Hmph. While we'd love to stay and mingle with you brutes, we have more important matters to attend to. That being said..." he pulled out a Poké Ball. "Dragalge, cover our escape with Smokescreen."

As soon as his sea dragon Pokémon materialized, it emitted a thick stream of smoke from its mouth, covering the area and obscuring everyone's vision. Team Rocket, the kids, and Pangoro frantically ran out of the smoke, in the direction the servants were, but by the time they got out, Wayne and Erin were long gone.

"We can't let them get away with this!" James said frustratedly.

"They must have run back to the mansion. If we're quick, we can catch up!" Clemont said, pointing down the path that leads back to Lord William's estate. The group nodded and charged down that path. Barely a minute later, they spotted a group of lesser servants running their way.

"Look! There they are!" one of the servants yelled. "All right, you remember Erin's orders. Don't let any of them pass!"

"Right!" the other servants yelled, pulling out their Poké Balls.

"Pan! Pangoro!" one of the Pangoro said.

"He's sayin' he and his buddies will take dose guys on so we can go save Meowstic," Meowth translated.

"Pan!" another Pangoro nodded.

"I'll stay behind to help," Clemont said. "If those servants chased you out last time, they must be pretty tough. And plus..." he panted. "I don't know how much more running I can do..."

"Dedenne and I will help out, too!" Bonnie said. Dedenne poked its head out of its bag and chirped in agreement.

"We'll leave it to you, then," Ash said. With that, the three Pangoro charged ahead to create an opening for Ash and the others to run through.

Panicked screams spread throughout the group of servants. All of their attention was focused on the three hulking giants charging towards them.

"A-Are those the Pangoro?!"

"Wayne and Erin didn't say anything about _them_!"

"Shut up and send out your Pokémon! If we fail this, Lord William will have our heads!"

"Or worse, he'll fire us!"

The group of servants sent out a large assortment of Pokémon - a Gogoat, a Furfrou, a Fletchinder, a Vivillion, a Doublade, and a Pyroar. With the servants' focus on the three Pangoro and blonde gym leader attacking them, the rest of the group was able to breeze right on through.

It wasn't long before they ran into the two head servants - Erin and Wayne - again. They stood in the middle of the path, Pokémon at their sides...but Lady Meowstic was nowhere in sight. They wore smirks on their faces.

"Where's Meowstic?" James asked, getting straight to the point.

Wayne shrugged. "We handed her off to her rightful owner. He's probably on his way to the police to tell them about how a group of thugs is trying to steal his precious Meowstic away from him."

"As if! Meowstic will vouch for us!" Ash said.

"Oh, Meowstic speaking up won't be a problem at all," Erin said.

"...Why not?" James asked, worried that they might have hurt the poor Pokémon.

"That's for us to know, and for you to never find out," the maid taunted. "Florges, Energy Ball!"

"Gourgeist, Shadow Ball!" Jessie counter-ordered. Green energy collided with purple, mixing together and exploding into a cloud of smoke.

"Not bad - for a petty thief with a _ridiculous_ hairdo, that is," Erin said.

" _Ridiculous?!_ " Jessie said furiously. "I'll show you ridiculous! Gourgeist, teach her a lesson with Seed Bomb!" Her Pokémon complied, eager to get revenge for the insult her master received.

"Florges, dodge and use Vine Whip!" the maid ordered. The Florges quickly got out of the way of the stream of exploding seeds, then shot out two vines at the pumpkin Pokémon. To the maid's surprise, Jessie just smirked in response when the vines shot out at her Gourgeist.

"Now, Gourgeist, grab those vines and reel her in!" Jessie said, giving the twerp a signaling look. Ash got the message and grinned.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail, now!" Ash ordered. The super-sized Gourgeist was easily able to use its weight and power to sling Florges right into Pikachu's attack, causing massive damage.

"Nice shot, twerp!" Jessie said.

"Couldn't have done it without you," Ash responded. He then turned to James, Serena, and Meowth. "We'll take care of these two, you guys go on and save Meowstic!"

Serena nodded in acknowledgment. "You got it, Ash! C'mon guys, let's go!" she said, continuing down the path.

"Don't worry baby, Meowth's comin' ta save ya!" Meowth said. He enthusiastically darted ahead of the group.

"Oh no you don't! Dragalge, stop them with Sludge Bomb!" Wayne ordered. His Pokémon began charging the attack but...

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Gourgeist, use Seed Bomb!"

Pikachu and Gourgeist quickly launched their attacks to prevent Dragalge from launching its own. Wayne was not pleased.

"Why you little...!" he said indignantly, but Erin calmed him down.

"Let the rats scurry on," Erin said. "The master is more than capable of dealing with those three idiots."

Wayne smirked. "Right." He turned to face his two opponents. "I'm disappointed, Mister Ketchum. Did you know we were going to knight you? We had a celebration planned out and everything!" the butler said. "Oh well. We'll be sure to send you a slice of cake when you're behind bars!"

"We'll see about that... Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!"

* * *

 **Woo! I meant to mention this a long time ago, but this story won't end after Meowstic goes free. I also had ideas for some of her adventures with James and the rest of Team Rocket. I wasn't really sure whether to post them as separate stories or to just add them on to this story. I eventually figured it'd be easier to just put them on this story, 'cause if I posted them as separate stories, I'd have to tell the reader to read this story first or else it might not make sense lol.**

 **I'm thinking one or two more chapters will be enough for the gang to beat Lord William. Then there'll be her adventures with TR and stuff. Those will probably be a bit shorter than the main story - like 1-3 chapters? I'll also label the chapters after the main story is done, so you can tell where each one starts and ends.**

 **As for them visiting one of James's summer cottages, I can't guarantee anything lol. Definitely not in the main story, but I think they'd probably stumble upon one later on in the "Meowstic's Adventures with Team Rocket" stories. I was hella disappointed that no James's mansion episodes happened in XY. Heck, there weren't any in BW either. The last one we had was around the middle of DP! I'm hoping there's at least one of those episodes before XYZ ends. There aren't that many episodes left though D:**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and as always, any reviews/comments/criticisms/corrections would be much appreciated!**


	6. The Aristocat VI

After about a minute more of running, James, Serena, and Meowth happened upon Meowstic, and she was seemingly...alone? Her back was facing them, so they were unable to view her face. Lord William was nowhere in sight...

"Strange..." James commented. Serena nodded in agreement.

"Let's approach carefully," Serena said.

Meowth, unfortunately, didn't get the memo. He charged towards the female cat, arms wide for a hug. As soon as he was within hugging range, he wrapped his arms around the lady and squeezed tight. James and Serena sighed, their element of surprise ruined.

"You all right dere, babycakes? Don't worry, Meowth's here ta save ya!" Meowth said. In response, Meowstic simply lifted him up with Psychic, and then flung him, far away, just like the last time he tried physical contact with her. "WAAAAH! Meowth's blasting off _again?!_ " Meowth cried as he disappeared with a twinkle.

"M-Meowth!" James said, watching his teammate get thrown away. "Meowstic, what'd you do that for?" It was then that James noticed the odd look in the feline's eyes. He'd seen those eyes before... " _Hypnosis,_ " James said.

"How rude!" a snooty voice said from the bushes. "Interrupting our lesson like that. I was just teaching Meowstic how to be a proper slave. Now, Meowstic, show them what a good slave you are and bow to me!"

"Yes, my lord..." Meowstic said monotonously, bowing deeply.

" _Slave?_ What happened to making her a noble?" James asked. " _Not that there's much difference..._ " he muttered to himself.

"She'll be whatever I want her to be now!" Lord William laughed. "Slave, Pokémon, aristocrat... And she won't have any say in the matter."

"You're a horrible person!" Serena yelled angrily.

"Oh, hush, peasant. You know nothing of the workings of high society. Meowstic, Psybeam on those ruffians!" Lord William ordered. Lady Meowstic unwillingly complied, uncovering the symbols on her ears and loosing a colorful beam of psychic energy at her rescuers. James and Serena quickly jumped out of the way, just barely in time to avoid a direct hit but still getting knocked back a bit from the explosions.

"You all right, twerpette?" James asked, coughing from the dust.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Serena replied. "And I have a name, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, it looks like it's our turn to battle," James said, reaching for a Poké Ball. Serena nodded and did the same.

"Come on out, Braixen!"

"Go, Inkay!"

The two Pokémon materialized and took a battle stance, ready to face the hypnotized feline. James was about to order an attack, but a fourth human made her presence known.

"Now now, kids," a monotonous voice said. "Didn't your parents tell you not to point your Pokémon at a police officer?" It was Officer Jenny.

"Officer Jenny!" Serena exclaimed. "This man is abusing his Meowstic!"

"I see nothing wrong with the way he is treating his Pokémon. You, on the other hand, are under arrest for the attempted robbery of Lord William's beloved property," Officer Jenny responded.

"W-What?! You're siding with him?" Serena said, incredulous. James, however, saw through their ruse.

"She's being hypnotized," James explained, noticing the officer's dilated pupils. He turned to Lord William. "You realize how illegal it is to hypnotize an officer, don't you? Trust me, I know a thing or two about breaking laws."

"Ah, but the difference between you and me is that _I_ don't plan on getting caught," Lord William said. "Now, officer, book those ruffians!"

"Yes, master. Growlithe, use Flamethrower," the hypnotized police officer ordered. Her Pokémon, also hypnotized, complied without question, loosing a stream of fire at James and Serena.

"Braixen, counter with your own Flamethrower!" Serena ordered. Braixen swiftly drew her wand and let loose her own stream of flames to meet the opposing one head on, with both attacks getting cancelled out in the process. "I'll take Officer Jenny; you save Meowstic!"

James nodded. He let the two fire types duke it out and turned to face down his own opponent. He gulped, realizing it was two on one - his Meowstic and Malamar against just his Inkay. "H-Hey, two on one hardly seems fair!"

"Obviously," the wealthy man said. "Which is why I'm only going to be using Meowstic and not Malamar. I am a _gentleman_ after all. I fight honorably, even against criminals."

James gritted his teeth. He hated being talked down to like that - being made to feel as though he were some uncivilized barbarian by a wealthy person. It reminded him too much of his father. Still, he was glad that it would be one-on-one. That increased his chances of winning. He just had to land a few good hits on Meowstic, and she'd snap out of it and fight against her former master with him. At least, that's how he _thought_ hypnosis worked.

"Inkay, use Tackle!" James ordered. Inkay complied, tilting sideways and launching itself full speed at its target.

"Meowstic, dodge it!" Lord William responded. Unfortunately, Lady Meowstic didn't have much combat experience - she spent most of her time learning about utensils or how to walk. She tried to jump out of the way, but still got grazed by Inkay's attack. "Now use Scratch!"

"Foul Play!" James countered. Meowstic unsheathed its claws and swung them at Inkay, but the squid dodged under it, then grabbed hold of the feline and flung her into a tree. Meowstic looked pretty damaged from the attacks, but remained hypnotized. "Darn..." James cursed. He looked at Lord William and saw him...smirking? As though he had tricked James.

"Now, Meowstic, use Psybeam!" Lord William ordered, preventing James from carrying on with his thinking.

"Inkay, match it with your own Psybeam!" James ordered. The two beams collided in midair, but this time, instead of canceling each other out... Meowstic's beam overtook Inkay's and rammed into him at full force. "Oh no, Inkay!" James cried. Inkay quickly shook off the pain and floated back up, then nodded at its master. James made a mental note to watch out for Meowstic's attacks; while she wasn't great at dodging, she could hit like a truck!

"Energy Ball!" Lord William ordered. Several green balls of energy formed around Meowstic. After a short delay, she started launching them one by one at Inkay.

"Dodge!" Inkay darted around, avoiding the destructive balls of energy as much as possible.

"Keep firing!" Lord William yelled. Meowstic complied, and continued firing Energy Ball after Energy Ball at the squid. Inkay continued to dodge, but occasionally got grazed by one of the attacks. James saw that if he kept this up, Meowstic would tire herself out and he'd win, but Lord William seemed oddly calm about this. More than calm, actually - he was grinning. Just like before, when Meowstic got attacked...

Suddenly, everything clicked in James's head. He _wanted_ Meowstic to get tired out. He also wanted Inkay, Braixen, and Officer Jenny's Growlithe to use up all of their strength. After that, he'd be in total control with just his Malamar. If James wanted to save Meowstic, he'd have to find a way to break the Malamar's grips on their minds, and fast. But how?

 _Which is why I'm only going to be using Meowstic and not Malamar. I am a gentleman after all. I fight honorably, even against criminals._

Lord William's words replayed in James's mind. He _wasn't_ being a gentleman - he was protecting Malamar! James remembered how they were freed from the evil Malamar's Hypnosis, back when it used Madame X as a cover. They were freed when the evil Malamar took a direct hit, which caused it to lose focus and release its grip on its victims.

With this in mind, James ordered another attack. "Inkay, Psybeam... on Malamar!" Inkay quickly complied, turning upside down and letting loose a colorful beam of psychic energy at its target.

"Meowstic, block it!" Lord William ordered. Without hesitation, Meowstic threw her body in front of Inkay's attack. The beam exploded on her, launching the feline back a fair distance in a cloud of smoke. She struggled to her feet, her normally snow-white fur covered in dust.

James gritted his teeth. "How chivalrous, forcing a Lady to take hits for you," he said mockingly.

"You shut your mouth, you cur!" Lord William snapped, his true colors surfacing. "I'm a nobleman, one of the most important in Kalos's society. _You're_ just some thief; a piece of trash! A delinquent! You'll never amount to anything. You're worthless, you understand? Worthless!" Lord William's face beet-red from his anger. "If you up and croaked tomorrow, no one would notice or care!"

James was silent. This all reminded him of his parents' words. How he'd never amount to anything; that he was a disappointment; that his only worth was to provide grandchildren, yet he failed at that, making him worthless. He'd also heard similar words from other people all his life - from law enforcement, from the people he'd fail to rob, and even from his boss. Despair started to wash over the Rocket...

"You're wrong..." a strained voice said. James looked up towards the source of the voice and saw... Meowstic? Lord William looked at her in shock, as well. "You're wrong," she repeated.

"Malamar, take away her self-control, now!" Lord William ordered. Malamar tightened its grip on her mind, flashing its lights and radiating vibrant, golden energy. Despite all this, Meowstic continued.

"James is a much better man than you," Meowstic said, struggling against the Malamar's control. "He's kind, caring, understanding..."

"Malamar, what's going on? Silence her!" Malamar panicked, desperately trying to regain control of Meowstic. He's seen what happens to Pokémon that fail his master.

"He loves his Pokémon...he'd never abuse them the way you do..."

"Malamar...!" Lord William started getting furious with his Pokémon. Malamar backed away a bit in fear, intimidated by its owner's anger. This fear distracted it slightly, causing it to ease its grip on Meowstic's mind. The feline took full advantage of this and readied an attack of her own free will.

"...And I won't let you hurt him!" Meowstic yelled, turning to face her former owner and launching a fierce barrage of Energy Balls at him.

"Malamar, shield me!" Lord William ordered, bringing his hands up to his face. Malamar quickly got between his master and the Energy Balls, taking several direct hits and losing control over the rest of his Hypnosis victims.

Officer Jenny and her Growlithe's eyes returned to normal. Both looked around in a daze before remembering what happened before they were hypnotized. The officer quickly changed targets, directing her Growlithe towards the nobleman.

"Lord William, you are under arrest for abusing Pokémon and assaulting an officer!" Officer Jenny ordered.

"G-Growl..." her Pokémon let out a weak growl, tired from its battle. Its former opponent, Braixen, wasn't in much better shape. James glanced at Inkay and Meowstic - both, too, were exhausted from their battles.

"Hah! Just as I planned!" Lord William said triumphantly. "You were all so busy fighting amongst yourselves that you're too weak to challenge me and Malamar!"

Meowstic smirked. "I don't think so," she said, pointing at the crumpled form of his Malamar. Her barrage of Energy Balls sure did a number on him. "That's what happens when you hide behind your Pokémon; you're alone now."

"What the-!" the nobleman said. "Grr... Erin, Wayne, to my side, now!" The two servants in question suddenly landed next to him with a thud, hair mussed up and uniforms in tatters.

"Umm, r-reporting for duty, milord!" Erin said nervously, her Florges unconscious next to her. Wayne's Dragalge wasn't doing so well, either. Jessie and Ash appeared next to Serena and James shortly after, looking triumphant.

"Ugh, worthless...! Where are the rest of my servants, then?!" Lord William started looking pretty panicked. In response to his question, the group of servants he was talking about appeared on the horizon, sprinting towards him. "There you idiots are. Dispose of these peasants for me!"

Unfortunately, the retreating servants paid him no heed, opting instead to bowl right through him and his two servants.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" a servant yelled.

"THOSE PANGORO ARE CRAZY!" another added. The group continued running away to the safety of the mansion, leaving their master behind in the dust in a daze as Clemont, Bonnie, and the trio of Pangoro arrived on the scene. Lord William looked _really_ panicked now, seeing all of his enemies gathered before him.

"Er..." he mumbled. Deciding to let his actions speak for themselves, he turned tail and ran...right into the claws of a furious Meowth.

"Taste my Fury Swipes of Love!" Meowth yelled, flailing his claws right at the nobleman's face. When he finished, Lord William fell backwards, knocked out from the attack. "Let dat be a lesson - don't you ever mess wit my girlfriend!" he said, blowing into his claws.

Meowstic smiled. She didn't quite like how he called her his 'girlfriend', but it was still a sweet gesture, so she let it slide...this time.

* * *

The group returned to the mansion to assess the damage. Lord William, Lady Isabelle, and their two head servants, Erin and Wayne, were all under arrest for their parts in unlawfully annexing the natural habitat of the Pangoro. Lord William faced additional charges for his abuse of Meowstic, as well as hypnotizing and attacking an officer. The rest of the servants were released with a warning, under the pretense that they were 'just following orders'. Meowstic didn't mind; the servants weren't inherently cruel, they were just afraid of Lord William's punishment like she was.

A soft, kind, and warm hand suddenly started petting the back of her head, just the way she liked it. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the gesture, already knowing who it was.

"All's well that ends well, eh?" James said. Meowstic smiled and nodded. "So what're you going to do now that you're free?" he asked, much to Meowstic's chagrin. She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape, giving him another one of her 'are you really this dense' looks. James sweatdropped, not understanding what she was getting it. "Er... Officer Jenny, should we find Meowstic a nice daycare to stay in until a trainer adopts her?"

"S-Seriously?" Officer Jenny responded. It seemed the entire group, save for James himself, knew where Meowstic _really_ wanted to go.

"Oh, right," the blue-haired man chuckled. "She wouldn't want to live cooped up in some daycare. She'd rather be released into the wild, right?"

"..." Meowstic was starting to have second thoughts...nah. She huffed and marched over to the Rocket agent, shoved her paw in his pocket, pulled out an empty Poké Ball... and promptly tapped the trigger, letting the device take her in and capture her. After the shaking stopped, she let herself out, blushing and avoiding eye contact with her new trainer.

James still looked confused, amazingly. Then an epiphany hit him. "Ah! Clever thinking!" he said. "If you're owned by me, then no one else can capture you when you're running free in the wild!"

Everyone fell over backwards at his inability to read the obvious signs.

"No, you dummy!" Meowstic shouted. "I want to travel with _you_..."

It took a few seconds for James to register what she said; when he did, his eyes widened. "A-Are you sure?" he asked. "You realize I tried to kidnap you, right?"

Meowstic rolled her eyes. "Obviously. That's not something you forget in a few hours," she said. "...and neither is the kindness you showed me afterwards. So are you going to take me or not?!"

"H-Hold on!" James said. "I'd be glad to take you along, but you do realize I steal Pokémon for a living, right? Would you be okay with that?"

Meowstic bit her lip. "...Yes. If it's with you, I'll do it. Though I'd prefer if you left me out of your plots as much as possible..."

"Also, you should know that we're not exactly rich... We won't be having fancy food that often, or at all, really," James said. "It'll mostly be junk food."

"Are you kidding me? I'm sick of fancy food; I'd happily dine on potato chips every day," Meowstic responded.

James scratched his head, thinking of anything else he might have to warn her about. When he couldn't think of anything, he shrugged. "Well, if you're all right with all of that..." He extended a hand out to the feline. "Welcome to Team Rocket!" he said, smiling.

Meowstic stared at his hand for a second. She reached out a paw to shake it...but quickly changed her mind opting to scurry up his arms and give him a big hug around his neck instead. James was taken aback by the gesture at first, but quickly recovered and returned the sentiment, hugging Meowstic back.

"Woohoo!" James cheered. "I caught a Meowstic!"

With that, the three groups went their separate ways, the twerps continuing on with their journey, Officer Jenny heading back to town with some new prisoners, and Team Rocket simply heading a fair distance away and discretely stalking the twerps again.

* * *

 **A/N: Woo! Well, that's done. Now onto Meowstic's journeys with Team Rocket! I'd expect a showcase with Jessie, a date with Meowth, a separation episode where she bonds with Inkay, Gourgeist, and Wobbuffet, to name a few (and probably not in that order). Haven't written any of them yet, so all of that is subject to change lol. Jessebelle and Allie _might_ make an appearance, no guarantees, though.**

 **Anyways, as always, any reviews/thoughts/criticisms would be much appreciated!**


	7. Purrformance I

"All right, I think everything's set up," James said, putting his shovel down and wiping the sweat off of his brow.

"... _This_ is your plan?" Meowstic sighed. Their 'plan', if you could even call it that, was to lure the twerps into a trap hole that they dug, then use a mechanical arm to snatch Pikachu.

"Hey, don't bash on da classics!" Meowth said. "It's been a while since we dug a hole."

"So you've tried this plan before," Meowstic asked.

"Oh yeah, we used ta trap da twerps like dis all da time!" Meowth answered.

"...And seeing how Ash-er, the 'twerp' still has his Pikachu, I'm guessing those plans failed."

"Correct."

"...So what makes you think this time will be different?"

"..." Meowth couldn't think of an answer. "D-Dey got lucky last time! Dey won't be so lucky dis time!"

Meowstic rolled her eyes. She was about to speak up in protest, but the twerps' voices could be heard getting closer.

"Shh! Into the bushes!" Jessie ordered, shoving the group into their hiding place. Meowstic sighed, knowing that this wouldn't end well.

"So you all set for the Master Class tournament?" Ash asked.

"Of course!" Serena replied. "Though a bit more practice wouldn't hurt."

"It's still two days away, right?" Clemont said. "You have a lot of time to - WAH!" before he could finish his sentence, the group fell into the hole that Team Rocket prepared.

"Ow ow ow!" Bonnie cried, having landed pretty roughly. "Where'd this stupid hole come from?!"

In response, the familiar trio burst from the bushes.

"Prepare for trouble, it came from us!"

"And make it double, you're about to go bust!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Meowth's da name!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" (at the same time) "M-Meowstic, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Meowstic instantly blushed and buried her face in her paws. "That was so embarrassing..." she said. "Do you guys really do this every time you attempt a robbery?"

"Yes, _every_ time," Ash sighed, getting lifted out of the hole by Talonflame. Noivern lifted Bonnie and Clemont out, while Hawlucha lifted Serena.

"N-No way!" James yelled. "How did you escape from our trap?!"

The twerps fell over backwards. Meowstic didn't blame them.

"I dunno," Meowstic started. "Why don't we ask the _three Flying-type Pokémon_ flapping their wings above them?"

"Grr... forget the hole!" Jessie said. "Let's just make this a good old fashioned shake down. Gourgeist, let's go!" Her Pokémon materialized before her, ready to fight, though the pumpkin Pokémon shot a glare at Meowstic when they made eye contact. Seems Gourgeist was still mad about the soda incident.

"Meowstic, would you like to be Gourgeist's partner today?" James asked. He didn't notice the tension between the two.

"Er... I don't think that's such a great idea..." Meowstic responded.

"Gour? Gourgeist gour? (What's the matter, chicken?)" Gourgeist said in a taunting tone. Meowstic flared up in anger.

"On second thought, sure. Just tell that over-sized pumpkin to stay out of my way," Meowstic responded. Gourgeist just stuck her tongue out at her.

"Pikachu, you ready?" Ash said. His starter yipped in affirmation, jumping off of his shoulder and taking a battle stance in front of him.

"How about you, Pancham?" Serena asked. "Feel like getting some practice in?" Pancham nodded happily and took its place next to Pikachu. "All right Pancham, start this off with Stone Edge! On Gourgeist!" Pancham slammed its paws down on the ground, sending a line of stones directly at its target.

"Gourgeist, dodge!" Gourgeist jerked to its left to get out of the way of the oncoming stones... _accidentally_ slamming her body against Meowstic in the process.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Meowstic yelled.

"Gourgeiiiist (Oopsie)!" Gourgeist said unapologetically, infuriating Meowstic even more.

"Meowstic, use Energy Ball!" James ordered. Meowstic complied, forming several green balls of energy around her and launching them at the twerps' Pokémon. Pikachu and Pancham deftly darted around, avoiding the balls but still getting grazed by a few of the explosions. Suddenly, one Energy Ball smacked Gourgeist right in the face.

"Oops, that one must have slipped," Meowstic said sarcastically. Gourgeist did not look happy.

"Gourgeist gour?! (That was quite the slip, you twit!)" Gourgeist said angrily. This time, Meowstic stuck her tongue out at the pumpkin.

"Meowstic, counter with Psybeam!"

"Block it with Seed Bomb, Gourgeist!"

" _With **pleasure**_ **,** " the two Pokémon said, unaware that during their argument, the twerps directed a Thunderbolt and Dark Pulse at them. Meowstic uncovered the symbols on her ears and let loose an intense beam of colorful energy at the pumpkin. Gourgeist, in turn, fired off a relentless stream of seeds back at the cat. The two fierce attacks cancelled each other out. Jessie and James slapped their foreheads as the twerps' attacks slammed into their two Pokémon unopposed, knocking them back to the villains with enough force to send them blasting off.

"WAAAH! What's going on?!" Meowstic yelled.

"What's going on is..." Meowth started.

" **WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"** the group cried.

" _Again?_ I'm assuming this happens a lot, then..." Meowstic said.

" _You_ did this to me _twice_ just the other day!" Meowth complained.

"Hey! I was hypnotized one of those times!"

"Yeah, I guess you're ri-" Meowth started before realizing something. "Wait, how'd ya know you blasted me off if you were hypnotized?"

Meowstic froze.

"I don't remember Lord William ordering you to fling Meowth, either," James added.

"Er... So how do you guys usually land in these situations?" Meowstic said, trying to change the subject.

"..." The group gave her blank stares, not quite sure what to tell her.

"Um... on our feet?" James said.

"W-What?!" Meowstic yelled. "We're like, a thousand feet high! Won't that, you know, _hurt_?!"

The group shrugged at her in response. They were rapidly approaching the ground, falling faster with every second. While the criminals were fine with plowing into the ground, Meowstic had a better idea. She used Psychic to slow her's and James's downward plummet. She wasn't powerful enough to completely stop their fall, but it was enough to allow them to _actually_ land on their feet without breaking their leg bones. Meowth and Jessie, on the other hand, landed pretty roughly onto the dirt. When Jessie saw James and his Pokémon landing softly, she got a little mad.

"Uh, hello? What about us?" Jessie said, gesturing towards herself, Meowth, and her Pokémon.

"Oh, I..." Meowstic said, wracking her mind or an excuse as to why she didn't help the teammates she didn't like, without using her dislike of them as the reason. "I...didn't have enough strength to lift all of us," she lied.

Jessie gave her a glare, obviously not believing that for a second.

"Oh, whatever," Jessie said, seemingly letting it go. "What's more important is that the Master Class tournament is in two days, and I still only have two keys! This next showcase might be my last chance..." Jessie clenched her fists in determination. "So let's go, Wobbuffet, Gourgeist, Meowth." The female Rocket went off to find a field to practice.

"Pfft. Good riddance," Meowstic said.

"Meowstic..." James started. "If you're going to be travelling with us, you're going to have to get along with the rest of the gang,"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied fake-innocently. "I'm getting along great with the others." James gave her a look. "Okay, fine, maybe I could make a bit more of an effort to make up..."

James looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You know... showcases can be pretty fun to participate in..." James said in a way that implied Meowstic doing something she was opposed to doing.

"Uh, no. Not happening. There's no way I'm working with that stupid pumpkin, or letting that red-haired idiot order me around," she said. " _You're_ the only idiot that gets to boss me around," she added playfully.

"Aw, c'mon, please Meowstic? It'd mean a lot to me if you and Jessie got along well enough to win a performance!"

"No way. Nuh-uh. Not happening." Meowstic continued to adamantly refuse.

In response, James buckled down and gave off his best pleading, pathetic face. His eyes grew wide and shimmering, on the brink of tears; his hands were clapped together in front of him in the pleading gesture; and he was down on his knees, on eye-level with the feline. Meowstic tried to resist his charms, but eventually relented.

"All right," she sighed. "I'll give it a try."

"Hooray!" James cheered. He wrapped his arms around Meowstic and gave her a big hug. Meowstic gladly returned the gesture. After a few seconds, James put her down. "You should go practice with Jessie now. You're going to need it!"

* * *

"All right, Gourgeist, use Shadow Ball! And you use Mirror Coat, Wobbuffet!" Jessie ordered. Gourgeist fired off its ball of purple energy at the blue blob. Wobbuffet, in turn, reflected the attack. Except, instead of reflecting it back at Gourgeist, Wobbuffet spread the energy out, shooting purple sparks in all directions and darkening the area for a bit.

"Wow, pretty good!" Meowth said, watching from the sides. Jessie, however, sighed.

"Yeah. 'Good'... unless your audience's culture worships the sun," Jessie said.

"What're you talkin' about?" Meowth asked.

"The town that the next showcase is in is known for its people's worship of the sun and light," Jessie explained. "They probably wouldn't like it if I used a performance that darkened the stage. If only I had a Pokémon with a more colorful attack..."

"Gourgeist... (I'm sorry...)" Gourgeist said sadly.

"Aww, don't worry, Gourgeist. We'll think of another trick," Jessie said, giving her pumpkin a comforting cuddle.

"In less den a day?" Meowth asked. Jessie visibly panicked in response, realizing that she had less than 24 hours to come up with a routine.

"Er... I could help with that..." Meowstic said, walking up to them. "I have a lot of bright and colorful attacks. Psybeam, Energy Ball..."

"Hmph!" Jessie interrupted, turning away from the feline. Gourgeist did the same. "Let's try a different routine... Maybe you can throw your charm into the light, Meowth and then... hmm..."

"Oh well, I tried," Meowstic said, starting to walk away.

"H-Hold on!" James said. "Come on, Jess, give Meowstic a chance," he pleaded.

"If what you're sayin' about dat town bein' full of whacko sun-worshippers is true, den Meowstic might be our only shot!" Meowth added.

"I don't know..." Jessie still looked hesitant. Suddenly, arrogant, snooty laughter sounded off behind the group. They looked to the source and saw an elegant looking woman with waist-length black hair, a fancy purple sunhat, and a purple dress.

"If _that's_ going to be your freestyle performance, then I've got this in the bag," the woman said. "Don't you know that the people of Soleil City worship the sun? A proper coordinator should _always_ research their audience."

"Oh? And who are you supposed to be?" Jessie asked angrily.

"Baroness Amelia von Fleurrh," Meowstic said. "Stuck-up, arrogant niece of Count Fleurrh."

"Oh?" Amelia asked. It took a second for her to recognize the feline, but when she did, she smirked. "Ah, it's you. Quite a ways from home, aren't we, _Lady_ Meowstic?" Amelia said. She noticed Team Rocket's torn uniforms and dirtiness. "And traveling with peasants, no less! How the mighty have fallen!"

"You're quite a ways away from home yourself," Meowstic responded, scorn evident in her voice. "By the way, I heard you got beaten at your own game by a rookie. In your hometown, of all places!"

"That's no way to talk to a superior," Amelia said angrily.

" _Superior?_ I'm a higher rank than you." Meowstic shuddered as she remembered her technical noble title. Amelia was a baroness, while Meowstic was set to become a countess.

 _Oh, right..._ Meowstic thought. That title was from her _former_ owners. There's no way she'll be getting that title now.

"From that _stupid_ look on your face, I'm assuming you've realized how quickly information passes between nobles," Amelia said. "I'm a noble; you're a peasant. You don't stand a chance against me at the next showcase!"

Meowstic gritted her teeth. "Just because you're a noble doesn't mean you're superior to everyone! Why can't you rich snobs get that?" Meowstic said angrily. "I'm gonna prove you wrong. Jessie and I are going to win that showcase!"

"We are?" Jessie asked, confused. "O-Oh! Right, we are! I'm gonna win my third princess key and become Kalos Queen!"

" _You?_ " Amelia said scornfully. "With _that_ ridiculous hairdo? And those rags you call clothes? Don't make me laugh."

"Grr... I'll show you ridiculous! Gourgeist, Shadow Ball!" Jessie ordered. Gourgeist charged up a purple, shadowy blob of energy and hurled it at the woman who dared insult her master's image. Amelia deftly and gracefully dodged it, then sent out her own Pokémon.

"Espeon, use Psybeam! Show them a _real_ attack!" Amelia ordered. Her Espeon's red gem started shining brilliantly for a moment, before loosing a bright, colorful, beautiful beam at Gourgeist. The beam struck the pumpkin Pokémon head on, knocking it back to its trainer with enough force to send them both into the ground and coating Jessie's already torn uniform in dirt.

"Ohoho! Now your uniform _really_ matches your social status! Filthy, ill-maintained, cheap..." Amelia said, looking down at the beaten performer. "Face it, honey - you're just not good enough for the big time," she said, continuing down the path to the showcase. The words struck Jessie like an arrow to the heart. Normally she'd be furious from the insult, but this time, she just looked... broken. Sad. As though Amelia's words brought up painful memories of her past.

James started getting worried over Jessie's silence.

"Jess? Jessie, are you okay?" the man asked his partner. It took a second, but Jessie snapped out of her melancholic stupor.

"Yeah...yeah I'm fine," she said. She then went back to her usual self. "I'll show that snot-nosed brat who the _real_ Kalos Queen is! I'm gonna stomp her into the ground in the showcase!" Her Gourgeist chirped in agreement and determination.

"Not without me you're not," Meowstic said. "I want to grind her in the dust, too."

"We don't need your-"

" _Yes,_ you do," Meowstic interrupted. "Come on, can't we at least call a truce until we beat little Miss Baroness?" She extended out a paw. Jessie stared at it for a while, thinking. Eventually, she relented and shook it.

"Fine. But we're doing it _my_ way," Jessie said. "Here's the routine I was thinking of..."

* * *

 **A/N: Woo. Renamed the titles to make it clearer where stories start and end. Guess I'm going with cat puns for all the titles lol. Also, yeah, Meowstic will interact with the twerps now and again. I probably won't make Team Rocket blast off too often, if ever again in this fic, though. They'll mostly interact in other ways. Maybe work together sometimes, since I tend to like those episodes. As for Giovanni... mmm, maybe. I also want Butch and Cassidy to appear sometime.**

 **Anyway, as always, any reviews/thoughts/criticisms/comments would be much appreciated!**


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